Tiny House in a Landscape
Esther Fredrickson sent this week’s Tiny House in a Landscape. Here is what she says:
We’re currently building a tiny house in Albuquerque, New Mexico (the outside is complete; work on the interior has just begun). The building site is also a field that needs to be flood irrigated. The water came particularly late this year, but it finally came and gave us a good excuse to clean up our construction site.
You can read more about our house at http://kennyandestherstinyhouse.blogspot.com/
Photo Credits: Esther Fredrickson
Clothesline Tiny Homes
When a custom home builder and an architectural designer decide to build a tiny house together, there is a guarantee that something special will be born. Shane and Carrie Caverly of Clothesline Tiny Homes are currently living in their new 144 square foot baby and are also available to design, consult and build custom homes for anyone looking for a simpler lifestyle. The married couple decided they were fed up with paying rent and mortgages and having nothing to show for it, so with their 30+ years of combined building skills they drew up their own design that is timeless, clean, and modern.
So why the funny name?
“Shane thought of it!” Carrie said. ”I came up with about a hundred names, including Roadrunner Tiny Homes (which I still think is awesome) but none of them were sticking. We were out in the backyard at our former rental house, next to the clothesline, and Shane said ‘What about Clothesline Tiny Homes, because it’s so small you’re going to need a clothesline.’” Continue Reading »
Warren’s Tiny House
by Warren Wood
I acquired a half acre of land in Taos, NM in 1976. I bought a pickup truck full of reject 2×4′s from a lumber mill and culled out enough usable ones to frame out my 8×14 home. In those days, in that area, there were no worries about permits.
I hauled water in 5 gallon jerry cans, used kerosene lanterns for light, and a tiny “tin lizzy” to keep the place warm in the winter. The kitchen sink had a 5 gallon bucket directly underneath to collect grey water, which I used to “water the sagebrush.” Being young and a product of the ’60′s, I lived contentedly like that for 4 years.
I then made some additions, transforming the cabin into a galley kitchen [with a heavy kerosene powered refrigerator]. I now slept in a low ceilinged loft, later came a bedroom and proper bath. Utilities had been installed by this time. The house is located at the far end of a dead end road and I still have a good amount of space surrounding the property. Continue Reading »
Building a Tiny Off-Grid Cabin in New Mexico
A few years ago we purchased some vacant land in northern New Mexico. We chose that area based on a number of factors. Some of those included wide-open space, abundant sunshine, affordability and artistic history (Georgia O’Keeffe lived down the road a bit). Our long term goal is to retire there and pursue a simple artistic life. One of the main reasons we chose that piece of property is its remoteness to other neighbors and the lack of congestion that comes from urban living. Urban living has a lot of advantages like electricity, water, and corner coffee shops. We plan to work around some of these conveniences using “off-grid” practices. I have enjoyed camping since I was toddler. The slower pace of life in an environment more closely linked with nature has always been a draw. Our cabin provides all of this with far more elbow room than a tent. Add in windows, a wood stove and a comfy bed and what could be better?
Site Location and Solar Power
Our parcel of land is a bit under 42 acres and nearly all the land around us is uninhabited grazing land. In fact, the people we bought our land from still graze horses and cattle on their square mile that surrounds us. I have spent enjoyable nights there listening to the baying of cattle and cry of a lonely coyote. Our decision to go “off-grid” was simple: the nearest utility pole to our cabin is nearly a mile away. We could have paid thousands of dollars to run power poles and lines to “connect” but then those “lines” would disturb our pristine views and require a monthly payment. For a fraction of that cost, we simply installed a basic PV (Photovoltaic) system. Our cabin is small at a bit under 200 sq. feet and has modest energy needs. Continue Reading »
Santa Fe Gypsy Wagon
Libby who is building her own Bow Top Gypsy Wagon with her husband was recently visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico and discovered this old Gypsy Wagon. Though a totally different design than theirs they enjoyed looking it over and getting ideas that they might be able to incorporate into their own vardo. Libby especially liked the slide out table which comes out from under the bed.
Libby wishes she would have had her digital camera but was able to get these photos with their iPhone. Thank you Libby!
Tiny House in a Landscape
Colorado Yurt Owner Michael Drummy bought 15 acres in rural, picturesque northern New Mexico – “O’Keeffe Country” it’s called because the painter Georgia O’Keeffe lived there for the second half of her life.
After buying the property outright we didn’t have the means to build anything very expensive down there. We purchased a 20’ yurt with all the bells and whistles in the spring of 2008. It feels roomy and cozy at the same time. Spending time in a yurt you are much closer to the elements and to the natural cycle of things. The yurt has withstood everything and we are absolutely thrilled with it. Read the complete post at the Colorado Yurt Company Blog.
